Machrihanish to Carradale 14th May 2022.
Waking to that wonderful view made me reflect on why we like the wild camping. It’s the solitude (relative as there are houses nearby) and the complete autonomy we enjoy without rules and regulations but as I’ve said before remembering to be respectful of others. We could divert into a whole psychology introspection here but maybe another time. I’ve been reading a book by Gregory David Roberts called ‘Shantaram’ – a story based on his interesting life involved with the Bombay mafia – there is plenty of psychology and complicated morals in the book to get your head around, read it.
Moving on again we went right to the south of the Mull of Kintyre and came across another car park with 2 camper spots, we wouldn’t be staying here tonight as we are booked into a site at Carradale but it would be a wonderful spot to wild camp.

During our short stay here for a walk and spot of lunch some of the runners of the 50K run that started that morning in Machrihanish went past, we clapped everyone that passed and were rewarded with some smiles although I don’t think some were smiling ‘inside’ as it was rather warm for them.

The spot overlooks Carskey Bay, deserted golden sands with some old fisherman’s cottages at one end which would surely be a glorious place to stay if you were not a motorhomer! We walked the whole length of the bay and saw the usual Ringed Plovers, Oystercatchers and was rewarded with a Dunlin in summer plumage, Turns were squawking and diving into the gentle surf for sand eels with groups of Gannets traveling north along the coast with an occasional straggler taking an opportunist dive for fish.

Carradale Bay 15th May 2022.
We had booked 3 nights here and we were not disappointed. The site has the feel of a typical site in Brittany with small hedges (in this case Gorse bushes) separating areas housing the caravans, campers and motorhomes. A chance for us to kick back again with no traveling until Tuesday. Our arrival on Saturday was Eurovision night and with no television we imagined the spectacles that must be happening in Turin by listening to old Ken Bruce on radio 2. We were just as shocked (as I think most people in the Great Britain were) not receive ‘nil points’ for a change, even more shocked when our French neighbours gave us ‘douze points’! We must get over there next year and thank them personally.

We realised that since arriving in Scotland from our first night at Largs Yacht Haven to now, every site or wild camp spot we have stayed at for the last 9 nights we have had a sea view, there is something powerful, sometimes frightening, when confronted with a wall of water that has a will of its own. King Canute (c995 – 1035) should have realised that when he tried to stop the tide from coming in, I wonder if his socks got wet, I bet they didn’t have ‘Crocs’ in those days, perhaps leather sandals but they would have been ruined with all that salt water, silly man.

Carradale Bay 16th May 2022.
Two walks today trying to dodge the showers. A morning walk in the sunshine along the beach and a slightly longer one this afternoon with views of our next destination, the Isle of Arran. Along the way we were surprised to see around 30 wild goats inhabiting the Carradale Point peninsula – very strange to see them roaming free and they look like Saanen Goats from Switzerland (like I’m an expert – NOT). Walking further round we found the local 9 hole golf course and Port Righ, not much going on here with the weather being inclement (and it was a Sunday).